Tainted Memories
by RadientWings
Summary: Klaus would never call her sweetheart again. He's gone. One-shot. Family fluff. Original centric. Set after 3x22.


**Just a short story about my favourite sibling pair, Rebekah and Klaus. It was something that I think had to be done.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own TVD.**

"_Rebekah! Come on, we've got to go, sweetheart!"_

Rebekah had learned to hate those words. Those words that always, inevitably, came. No matter what she and Nik did, they always had to run, in the end.

Now, though, she wished for nothing more than to hear her big brother say them. She just wished he'd be there to say them to her.

But he wasn't. He wasn't there at all. And it killed her. It just killed her not to have her big brother here reminding her to run, keeping her alive. Taking _care _of her.

She stifled a sob. She could just imagine what Nik might say to her if he saw her now.

"_Come on Bekah, love! No need for tears! We have the whole world at our feet!"_ She remembered one time, many years ago, when she first fancied a boy, back when they had been human. She had spent many a moon pining after the boy, and was heartbroken when she learned he had been betrothed to another girl in their village. Nik had found her, crying in the woods.

At first he didn't seem to know what to do, she remembered. He had stood by her awkwardly, before sitting next to her. He had waited a moment, before gently patting her back, in some vain attempt to comfort her. She especially remembered the look of startled surprise on his face when she threw herself at him, sobbing. After a moment's hesitation, he had embraced her, rocking her slightly.

"Bekah. Why are you crying over a mere boy, sweetheart? There are plenty of us to spare! You'll have your pick of the village once you're old enough!" He had informed her enthusiastically, causing her to smile for the first time that day.

It's funny, she couldn't remember the boy's name, but she still remembered Nik's boyish smile at seeing her happy.

Rebekah stood up from her perch on the log, wiping at her tears. Suddenly, she became furious. _How dare he? How dare he go and die like this? How dare he leave me here?_ In her anger, she kicked the log where she had been sitting, causing it to go flying across the meadow.

_Nik does always say my temper is even worse than his..._

_I mean did. Nik did always say..._

As quickly as it came, Rebekah's temper dissipated, leaving only bone-deep grief and pain in its wake. _He's gone. He's really gone. For good. How could this have happened? Why has this happened?_

_Why couldn't I save him? _

Rebekah felt her guilt eating her up, the blackness of it taking away all her once happy feelings. _I caused his death. That was all me. I did this. I took him away. I'm the reason he isn't here right now, telling me to run, to be safe. He is dead because of me._

_My brother is dead because of me._

Rebekah began to shake as she brought her arms around her chest, hugging herself as if she were cold, though she knew it wasn't the temperature that was causing this.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Nik. I should've been better. I should've protected you when you _needed_ me, just like you have always done for me. Oh God, I am so sorry!" Her voice broke into a gut-wrenching sob.

As she sat, rocking herself back and forth, she thought of the many times her brother had come to her aid.

There was that time in Greece, when she had angered a clan of werewolves. That time in Brazil, when there was a group of witches was after them, wanting their heads, and of course, Japan, Russia; She remembered them all, each time she had been rescued by her brother.

Yet, the one time she could rescue him, she didn't make it in time.

There was a time she would have rejoiced at his death, and now it disgusted her. Yes, Nik had done many terrible, seemingly unforgivable things in their long live. Killing their mother, for one. And daggering them. In Kol's case, several times over.

But, she now realized, that didn't erase how much he had cared for them all over the centuries. He had tried, so hard, to keep them together, and to keep them alive, but, one by one they had all betrayed him in some way. And, yes, he over-reacted, but they were vampires. They had a bit of a psychopathic tendency, did they not?

Besides, even she had been tempted to dagger Kol every now and again.

Yet, they let Nik see his death without knowing how much _they_ cared for _him_.

It broke Rebekah's heart to think her big brother died alone.

It was like it was karma for all those things she had said to him.

"_You either walk out that door with me, or you are on your own._"

And that is exactly what happened. He was on his own.

"_Fine. Trust your hybrids over your family. Let your spite be the death of you, see if I care."_

It _was_ the death of him, she realized. But she could have saved him. Because she did care... and he had died without her being able to tell him.

Rebekah's memories swirled around her mind, mocking her, haunting her. She could clearly see the times when she and Nik went off on a hunt, or when they spent the day together, laughing. She could see them in the 20s, Stefan by their side, holding hands. She could see it all. She could remember it all.

But now, all of those memories brought a wave of pain, and another sight she wished she had never witnessed.

_Alaric brought his stake down, with no hesitation as Rebekah watched in horrible realization that she would not make it in time._

"_Nik! No!" She screamed as she scrambled to get up._

_The stake pierced his chest. The flames began to consume him. It was all Rebekah could see._

Rebekah shuddered as the memory played over and over in her mind. So, yes, she remembered it all. She just wished she couldn't. She just wished she could rewind and hear her brother run towards her, shouting.

"_Rebekah! Come on, we've got to go, sweetheart!"_

But, he wouldn't be doing that. He would never again help her run, or call her _sweetheart_.

He was gone.

And there was nothing she could do.

**FIN**

**Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think!**

**RW**


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